The Weird Journey Called Life
by happyburstsof
Summary: Everyone leads different lives. Some live seemingly perfect lives. Others seem to have the most rotten-est of luck. Spoilers for Season 10 (barely any though). JJ/Reid
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Soooo...this is my first fanfic for Criminal Minds and my first fanfic for this account. Going into season 10 of CM and they still haven't put JJ and Reid together so this is what I would like to see happen whilst following canon as best as I can. I want to know what you guys think of this. Updates may be slow but I've written the next chapter as well so if this is well recieved then I'll post the next chapter soon. REMEMBER: this is a JJ/Reid story and they will have their moments. I just required a case to springboard their possible relationship. But I'm trying to follow canon as best as I can so...Also I am not AMERICAN so please excuse my non-American writing (you know I might write apologise instead of apologize)**

**Disclaimer: Please...if I owned Criminal Minds then I would be figuring out the best way to get JJ and Reid together. Also anything recognisable is also not mine *sigh***

It was seven in the morning when the BAU team was dragged into the briefing room at the FBI Headquarters in Quantico. Everyone cupped mugs of steaming coffee, hoping that the caffeine would wake them up out of their sleepy state.

"Good morning, sweeties." chirped Garcia, whilst handing a copy of the case file to each member. The rest of the team mumbled incoherent words. "I apologise for pulling you out of your warm and comfortable beds at this ungodly hour."

"Garcia, please start before I fall asleep again." said Hotch.

"Right. Sorry." She pointed the remote at the projector and two images appeared on the screen, along with images from each crime scene. "Yesterday morning in New Orleans, there was a hostage situation at the public library where Dylan Coulter was shot dead. Then yesterday evening, Kayla Lee was also shot dead in a similar hostage situation at the city park."

"The male was a 57 year old security guard and the female was a 23 year old retail assistant. Both grew up in New Orleans." noted Morgan, reading the case file.

"Different ages and different backgrounds. Our guy doesn't have a type." said Callahan.

"Garcia, have there been any other hostage situations?" asked Reid.

"I've been searching but I haven't been able to find anything."

"So they were victims of opportunity?" asked JJ.

"It would appear so." said Rossi.

"Woah, hang on Baby Girl. Do we know the type of gun used?" asked Morgan.

"Yes, Honey. Several witness accounts say that it was a revolver."

"So if we know the type of gun, shouldn't there be a bullet? ME report doesn't note any bullet."

"I like the way you think honey but and this is a big but, there were not bullets. Entry wound but no exit wound."

"So we have an unsub who shoots invisible bullets. We need to stop him. Wheels up in 30." said Hotch.

~CM~

"So how is our unsub shooting invisible bullets?" asked Callahan. The BAU team were on the jet, flying to New Orleans, reviewing the case file once more.

"It's been theorised by many that you can make bullets out of materials other than metal. Ice, meat and even gelatine bullets have been recorded." said Reid.

"So we have an unsub who make his own bullets." Rossi concluded.

"Possibly, or he's removing them after shooting." said Hotch.

"Removing a bullet is difficult though." said Morgan. "It's not like the unsub just jabs his finger into the entry hole and retrieves the bullet."

"They could be souvenirs that the unsub collects in order to remember each kill." said Rossi.

"Right. JJ and Reid go to the ME, Morgan and Dave go to the families of both victims and try to uncover any possible information, Callahan you're with me."

~CM~

Hotch and Callahan walked into the New Orleans Police Department, meeting the Detective. The Detective extended his hand. "Agent Hotchner." He said with the slightest hint of a question. Hotch shook the Detective's hand. "Detective Bower. Nice to meet you. This is Agent Callahan."

Callahan shook the Detective's hand. "Detective." She acknowledged.

"This way." Bowen led them down a corridor to a spacious room. "These hostage situations have occurred so fast. We had barely made a scratch for the report for the first incident when we were called to the second one." The room had three clear panels, photos and maps of the local area stuck neatly on each panel. "You guys are set up here. Is there anything I can get you?" he asked.

"No we should be fine." said Hotch.

"We're here to help. I'll leave you guys to it." Bowen said, then left the pair. Hotch and Callahan turned back to face the panels, peering closely at the map where the Detective had placed markers as to where the park and library were.

"The park and library are 4 miles apart. This could mean our unsub's a local." Callahan said.

"He might not have a vehicle which is why his ground area is quite limited." Hotch agreed.

"His choice of victim is strange though. Different gender, different age, different ethnicity. There's not a single thing that links them. Our unsub might just be a paranoid maniac."

"I wouldn't jump to that conclusion yet." Hotch pulled out his phone and dialled Garcia, placing her on speaker so Callahan could hear their conversation as well.

"Office of Unfettered Omniscience – how may I help you, O fortunate one?"

"Garcia, its Hotch and Callahan. Have you found any similarities between our two victims?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I haven't."

"How about place of employment?" asked Callahan.

"Got it. Dylan Coulter and Kayla Lee both worked at the shopping mall just across the street."

"Thanks Garcia."

~CM~

"Single entry wound through the neck, bursting the inferior vena cava." noted JJ.

"What's official COD?" asked Reid.

"Exsanguination." said the ME. "With our first victim being older, he lost just over 5 pints of blood. Our second victim lost 7 pints of blood."

"Is there anything unusual about the victims?" asked Reid.

The ME nodded. "Both victims suffered from a condition known as metabolic acidosis. Whilst they both received medical treatment for their condition, at TOD, their blood pH was lower than 7.35. I would say that several hours before TOD, something made their blood become acidic."

JJ was peering at the thin lines barely visible on the female victim's wrists and ankles. "Hey Spence, what do you think of these?" she asked the young doctor.

"Background checks noted that Kayla had a failed suicide attempt when she was 15 years old. She slashed her wrists with her father's razor however she was found barely conscious by her mother. She went into counselling after and then nothing." said Reid.

"But these lines are too fresh to be scars from 8 years ago. And it doesn't explain why there are identical marks on both her ankles and wrists."

"They do seem consistent with ligature marks from a very thin rope. Cable ties would make these marks as well."

"So Kayla was abducted then used as a victim in a hostage situation. She's not a victim of opportunity. Our unsub has planned this carefully."

"But what about the first victim? He's got no ligature marks." said the ME.

"He had Type 1 Diabetes, meaning that he had to inject insulin every couple of hours. The unsub could have injected neuromuscular-blocking drugs in previous injection wounds." Reid said.

"But it would have come up on the autopsy report." JJ said.

Reid thought for a moment, placing the pieces of the puzzle together in his head. "Metabolic acidosis. Force the victim to drink something acidic such as vinegar to make the blood acid. Add in a drug and let it get into the blood stream. The acid dissolves the drug away. The unsub would already have had the first victim subdued so he wouldn't require any more drugs. The unsub is using their metabolic acidosis as a forensic countermeasure." Reid said excitedly.

"We need to tell Hotch." said JJ.

**A/N: Hey readers...again. Because I have no idea what I'm doing can I ask for reviews? I'm not one of those authors who won't post until I have a certain number of reviews because I am doing this for FUN...but I am a noob at writing CM fanfics so I would like some reviews to help me construct my stories to be more CM-like.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: It's been a while however I needed to rewrite Chapter 2 because the original copy didn't seem good enough. It's shorter than Chapter 1 but I think the next chapter is going to be super duper long. Also thank you for the reviews I got and to everyone who favourited this story.**

**Disclaimer: ****Please...if I owned Criminal Minds then I would be figuring out the best way to get JJ and Reid together. Also anything recognisable is also not mine *sigh***

The BAU team sans Hotch had invaded the break room at NOPD, drinking their coffee.

"How's Meg?" JJ asked Callahan. The first case for the newest agent had been traumatic and she was more than relieved to be reunited with her niece. "She's great. I know she misses me whilst I'm away but she's getting used to it. How did Henry and Will get used to your hours?"

"Henry sees all of us as superheros and seems to understand that Mummy has to go and catch bad guys. Will originally didn't like my hours, but he came around. Speaking of which, he should be in New Orleans. His best friend from high school passed away recently and he's here for the funeral."

"We might be able to catch him if we solve this case." sympathised Callahan.

"If we solve this case." Hotch came in to hear the last bit of JJ and Callahan's conversation. "What have we got?"

"Both victims had a medical condition known as metabolic acidosis and without being regulated means that the blood pH levels go below 7.35 which is fatal for anybody. Despite both victims regulating their condition, TOD blood analysis showed that their pH levels were way below 7.35 which leads me to believe that they were fed an acidic drink such as vinegar before. Being shot in the inferior vena cava would mean that the acid in the blood would have dissolved the bullet; the supposed 'invisible' bullet." explained Reid.

"How were they fed vinegar? No sane human being would drink vinegar." Morgan said.

"That's because they were force fed it whilst their kidnapped." JJ continued on from Reid. "Thin lines which were barely visible were found on the ankles and wrists of the second victim. This indicates that she was restrained by a thin rope or cable ties. The first victim however didn't have any ligature marks however upon further examination we found an injection wound inconsistent with insulin injections that the first victim injected into himself for his Type 1 Diabetes. This could have been the injection wound from a needle delivering neuromuscular-blocking drugs."

"That's consistent with what the family said. First and second victim's families said that they disappeared approximately 24 hours before they were killed." added Morgan.

"And the fact that they both worked at the same shopping mall would suggest that he kidnapped them at around the same time." Callahan said.

"We're ready to give the profile." Hotch announced.

~CM~

The Detectives working on the case assembled in the room, awaiting the profile by the BAU. After everyone was seated, Hotch began the profile. "Based on the information we currently have, we believe we are looking for a young white male. He's lives locally and doesn't stand out."

"The level of sophistication of the crimes means that our unsub would have a lot of time on hand to prepare for the crime. We're looking for someone with a part-time job or even a casual job." continued Morgan.

"We believe that he may work in the medical field in occupations such as medical assistants due to his in-depth knowledge of each victim's medical conditions." said JJ.

"Based on his choice of victim, we know that he is targeting people with metabolic acidosis to use as a forensic countermeasure." continued Reid.

"At this current moment, we believe that the unsub will not shoot when provoked however caution must be exercised." Callahan said.

"Police presence around medical clinics and hospitals should be increased. We believe that the shopping mall will be the next target location for the unsub so police patrols around that area must also be increased. Thank you." Finished Hotch.

~CM~

"Garcia, we need the name of everyone who works in the medical field in New Orleans." said Hotch. The team were in the room, discussing possible leads in the case.

"You've got over 300 personnel. You're going to have to be more specific."

"Eliminate anyone without ties to the shopping mall." added Reid.

"Got it. There's five people who work at the medical clinic at the shopping mall."

"What's the medical assistant's name?"

"There's two medical assistants. Sebastian Walters and Georgia Marthers. Walters is a part-time medical assistant and in his spare time, which is a lot, he works out at the gym amongst other hobbies. Georgia Marthers is a …"

"It's Walters." Interrupted Morgan.

"My sweet chocolate god, even though I love the sound of your voice, don't interrupt me. But yes, my bet is on Walters as well."

"Well, he's got the time and strength to carry out the crimes." said Callahan.

"Do we have an address?" asked Hotch.

"Way ahead of you, boss man. It's been sent to your devices."

"Thanks Garcia." Hotch looked down at his tablet as the notification tone rang. "The unsub would already have his next victim. Reid, JJ and Morgan go to his home address. Dave, Callahan and I will go to the shopping mall. Garcia, can you brief us on Walters whilst we're driving? We need to determine who his next victim is. Let's catch this bastard."

**A/N: Again, ****I'm not one of those authors who won't post until I have a certain number of reviews because I am doing this for FUN...but I am a noob at writing CM fanfics so I would like some reviews to help me construct my stories to be more CM-like.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am honestly really sorry for not updating in a while. This chapter is basically the pinnacle chapter of the story…but that doesn't mean that it's over. I had to re-read this multiple times and I'm happy with the chapter and what matters is that you do as well. NOTE: this chapter has been split between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 which will be posted later.**

"Sebastian Walters. 22 year old male who grew up in New Orleans. Father was a pastor and his mother was a home maker. Both were shot dead when he was 10 and he's been in and out of foster care until he became 18."

"Garcia, what can you tell us about the death of his parents?" asked Hotch, as he furiously tried to weave in and out of peak hour traffic.

"They were suspected of being involved in a jewellery theft where local police were told that the offenders had weapons on them. Local police found them near the crime scene and were both fatally shot by a police officer after it appeared that they were reaching for guns in their inner breast pocket. Turns out that it was a case of mistaken identity however they were pronounced dead at the scene despite the paramedic's efforts to resuscitate them."

"He's waited twelve years though. Walters must be very patient." said Morgan.

"With his father being a pastor, it's highly likely that he passed on his religious beliefs to his son. In Christianity, it is believed that there were originally twelve..." started Reid.

"Disciples of Jesus." finished JJ. The team looked at her, puzzled. "What? I should know this. I practice Christianity."

"But how does this have anything to do with the fact that Walters kidnapped his victim then murdered them in broad daylight?" asked Hotch.

"One disciple was said to have betrayed Jesus. Judas Iscariot is notoriously known for betraying Jesus to the chief Sanhedrin priests and elders in exchange for thirty silver coins. The Kiss of Judas derives from Judas' act of kissing Jesus in order to identify him to the police forces." said Reid.

"Which relates to the case how?" asked Hotch, noticing that the young genius was getting seemingly side-tracked.

"Right. Sorry. Now, the most famous police department motto is that of the Los Angeles Police Department: to protect and to serve. Walters might see his parent's death as a sort of betrayal to the motto."

"So his next victim is the police officer who shot his parents. Garcia?"

"Hold on…got it. The police officer who shot Walter's parents was…Officer William LaMontagne Jr."

"JJ, call Will now."

"Already dialling. Hey Will. Hold up, I'm going to put you on speaker…We'll explain." JJ fumbled with her phone. Using the momentary distraction, Morgan turned to the group phone. "Hey Hotch, if Walters' is after Will, my best bet is that he'll take him directly to the shopping mall. We'll convene there however if there is any news then we'll call you. You too Garcia."

"Chocolate god, stay safe. I'll see you all at the end of the day. Bye sweet peas."

"We're nearly at the shopping mall, so if you can get a location of Will, go directly there. Otherwise come straight to the mall. That's an order." And then the line went dead.

~CM~

"Ok, Will. You're on speakerphone with Morgan and Spence. Do you remember shooting a male and female back when you were an officer?"

"Sure do, cher. But what does have to do with anything?"

"We believe that their son is going to try and kill you." Morgan said plainly, earning a disbelieving look from JJ.

"I'll keep a lookout for a psychopath then." He said in his thick New Orleans accent.

"Will, you don't understand. He's already killed two other people."

Will scratched the back of his neck before clearing his throat. "How do you know that I'm the next victim?"

"We believe that the son, Sebastian Walters, may see his parent's death as a betrayal to the famous Los Angeles Police Department: to serve and protect. In his mind, this betrayal is justified through the killing of the betrayer, which in this instance is you. He's waited twelve years for his avengement of sorts which could be an indicator to Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. What I don't understand is that Judas was hanged whereas Walters' killings have been through shootings. The MO would be completely different which leads me to the conclusion that his previous victims were merely test runs." said Reid, in a rather rushed tone. The car was silent except for the hum of the engine as Morgan manoeuvred it through the light traffic.

"Do you suffer from metabolic acidosis, Will?" Reid asked suddenly.

"Metabolic what?"

"Metabolic acidosis. It's where the blood pH is lower than 7.35 however based on your reaction, you've never heard of it which suggests that even if you had it, it would be a very mild form of the disease. Morgan, this is a complete change in victimology."

"Yeah well we know that Walters' final victim is Will."

"Hey Will, where are you?" asked JJ.

"In the carpark of the doctors. I think I've come down with a cold or something."

"Well shit!" exclaimed Morgan.

"'Scuse me?"

"Sweetie, Walters' is a doctor's assistant. You have to leave now!"


End file.
